Army dismisses war arsenal director after weapons theft

The Southeast Military Command announced this Thursday (19) that the director of the São Paulo War Arsenal (AGSP), lieutenant colonel Rivelino Barata de Sousa Batista, will be dismissed. He was responsible for the Barueri barracks, in São Paulo, from where 21 weapons were stolen. The decision was taken by the Army commander, Tomás Ribeiro Paiva.

This afternoon, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police recovered 8 of the 21 weapons stolen from the barracks. In a note, the Southeast Military Command reported that “all processes of the Military Organization are being reviewed and, in parallel with the investigation, the military personnel who were responsible for supervision and control may be held responsible at the administrative and disciplinary level for any irregularities”.

The soldiers involved received a Disciplinary Transgression Investigation Form and are currently awaiting the deadline to present their defenses. Temporary military personnel “will be expelled and career military personnel will be subjected to justification or discipline councils”. A Military Police Inquiry was also launched, which is being conducted in secrecy.

According to the Force, “the most likely line of investigation is that the weapons were diverted through theft with the participation of military personnel from the São Paulo War Arsenal, although no hypothesis has been ruled out to date.” The Army considers that the action took place between the 5th and 8th of September.

The weapons that disappeared from the Army War Arsenal barracks in Barueri. Since the 10th, the Southeast Military Command has investigated the disappearance of 21 weapons. According to the Force, among the missing weapons, 13 are .50 machine guns (anti-aircraft) and eight are 7.62 caliber.

After the discovery of the disappearance of the equipment, soldiers and officers were prohibited from leaving the Army unit since the 10th. Around 40 soldiers were interviewed as part of the military investigation. To date, 160 military personnel remain on site to contribute to the necessary actions in the investigation, while another 320 have been authorized to leave.